Head coach Erik Spoelstra said that Justin Hamilton (concussion) is "ready to go" for Thursday's game against Portland.

Hamilton is averaging a meager 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds on the season, so his status shouldn't matter to owners in standard leagues. He could however take away some minutes from Hassan Whiteside, so that is something that should be considered for people playing daily leagues. Jan 8 - 3:58 PM

Depth Charts

Jrue Holiday (leg) will wear a protective walking boot for the next two weeks, at which point he will be reevaluated.

Even though the injury is very similar to the stress fracture he had last season that cost him the final 48 games, he said that his current injury was not as serious. 'This is completely different,'' Holiday said. ''Difference is that I had a crack in my shin last year, I don't have a crack now. I've got to two weeks in this boot to see how it goes.'' However, when he recently tried to ramp up his activities, Holiday said that the pain started to increase again. His owners can hang onto him if they have an available IR spot, but with fantasy playoffs looming, Holiday is no longer a must-own player. In the meantime, Norris Cole will continue to get extended run off the bench for the Pelicans and is worth a look in deeper leagues after averaging 13.5 points, 3.5 boards, 4.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 treys in 27.4 minutes per game over his last two.

Sideline reporter Jennifer Hale reported that Anthony Davis (shoulder) is close to returning to game action.

We're not quite sure where that puts him, just like an earlier report stating the Pelicans weren't going to rush him back was similarly vague. We're in the second week of his 1-2 week timetable and as long as there isn't a setback his return is essentially imminent.

An MRI taken on Ryan Anderson's right knee revealed an MCL sprain, and he will be sidelined for the next 2-4 weeks.

With Anthony Davis (shoulder) also expected to miss the next 1-2 weeks, there's going to be a lot of minutes to go around for the Pelicans' reserves. Alexis Ajinca, Shawne Williams, Dante Cunningham, and Justin Hamilton will be in line for extended minutes, and Ajinca looks like a decent pickup in standard leagues. As a starter this season he is averaging 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. If you're team is fighting for a playoff spot, it might make sense to drop Anderson.